Kidnappers have killed two Nigerian policemen and abducted two Americans and two Canadians in  Kaduna state.

The foreigners were kidnapped on Kwoi-Jere road in Kagarko Local Government Area  on their way to Abuja from  Kafanchan and Kaura. They were ambushed  around 7:00 PM on Tuesday.

Kidnapping is rife in the Kaduna axis of the country and despite efforts by the police in flushing out suspects, it continues.

Mukhtar Aliyu, a  spokesman for the Kaduna state police, has confirmed the latest kidnapping.

Kafanchan is about 3-1/2 hours’ drive northeast of Abuja.

“The two police escorts attached to them engaged the kidnappers in a fierce gun battle, which resulted in the unfortunate death of the two police officers,” Aliyu said.

A spokesman for the United States Embassy in Nigeria declined to comment. The Canadian foreign service did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

In October, kidnappers took four Britons in Delta state in the south. Three were released after negotiations, but the other, Ian Squire, was killed.

The Abuja-Kaduna road has long been a haunt for kidnappers. Last February, two German archaeologists were abducted in the region, though were later freed.